The Radical Appreciation of Thomas Hobbes

In 1839, the English radical Sir William Molesworth1 had all the works of Thomas Hobbes reprinted and published at considerable cost. George Grote, another radical, published a notice of the new edition in the Spectator that same year. The notice is a good summary of what these radicals, who were passionate democrats, considered to be … Continue reading The Radical Appreciation of Thomas Hobbes →

The IHRA definition is still a threat to academic freedom

Two years ago I wrote an article where I warned the IHRA definition of antisemitism would be used to restrict academic freedom. I therefore urged universities to drop it: https://web.archive.org/web/20210512141702/https://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/why-we-should-drop-the-ihra-definition-of-antisemitism/ The article, quite predictably, outraged many people. But though stupidity and prejudice might triumph in the short term, truth and reason triumph in the end. … Continue reading The IHRA definition is still a threat to academic freedom →

James Mill’s Essay on Government (1820)

The Scottish radical James Mill was invited to contribute articles to the Supplement to the Encylopaedia Britannica by Macvey Napier in 1814.1 The essay on Government was published in 1820; it presented a vigorous argument for representative democracy from first principles, condemned Britain's aristocratic constitution, and did so with impressive brevity. The essay had a … Continue reading James Mill’s Essay on Government (1820) →

Notes on Harold Wilson’s Labour Government 1964-1970

Some years ago I read Clive Ponting's book Breach of Promise: Labour in Power 1964-1970 (1990). I began to read the rest of Ponting's work after completing his biography of Churchill - a book of nearly nine hundred pages, but with such literary and analytical merit that I read it with speed and pleasure.1 Breach … Continue reading Notes on Harold Wilson’s Labour Government 1964-1970 →